“Tong Ya…”
Shen Ran shook her head. “I don’t know. She seems to be out buying food.”
“I see…”
Luo Yueli stood up and said, “I’m a bit hungry too. Shen Ran, do you want me to bring you something?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ve already brushed my teeth and I’m ready for bed.”
Less than 300 meters from the girls’ dormitory, the lights were bright and the area was bustling, looking like a different world altogether. This was Qingyue University’s most famous snack street.
Tong Ya stood alone at the intersection, looking out of place among the couples and groups of friends.
Her expression was somewhat cold, and her eyes were unfocused as if she had something heavy on her mind.
“Tong Ya?”
A voice from behind suddenly made Tong Ya snap back to her senses. She turned around, a faint smile appearing on her lips as she looked back. “Lizi, what are you doing here?”
“I…” Luo Yueli sighed and said, “I was a bit hungry, so I came out for a walk to grab a bite. What about you?”
Tong Ya looked more petite and cute, appearing more approachable than Shen Ran. In front of her, Luo Yueli talked a bit more.
“Me? It’s nothing major.”
‘Luo Yueli has something on her mind. Does it have to do with that boy in the hallway? Should I… test her?’
Tong Ya looked at the bright neon lights reflected in Luo Yueli’s eyes and said, “A boy asked me out earlier to try and get closer to me, but I rejected him.”
“Xiaoya, do boys confess to you often?”
“Yes,” Tong Ya said with a smile. “It happens quite often.”
“Then… you must have a lot of experience?” Luo Yueli hesitated. She really needed someone to talk to, someone to give her some advice.
“I wouldn’t say a lot, but I have some experience dealing with it. What about you, Lizi? You must have met quite a few, right? I don’t believe for a second that no boys have confessed to a girl as beautiful as you.”
“Actually… not that many. I… I rarely talk to boys,” Luo Yueli stammered. “I’m not as natural as you are.”
“I see… maybe it’s because I look younger, so boys think I’m easier to talk to? You have a goddess vibe.”
“To them, your aura is naturally stronger, and they feel you’re hard to approach. Actually, it’s quite nice. It’s annoying to constantly be confessed to by people you don’t like,” Tong Ya said all at once.
“Yeah… I think so too. Xiaoya, I want to ask you… something. Is it convenient? Could you give me some advice?” Luo Yueli fell silent for a moment as if she had finally made up her mind.
“No problem! We’re roommates for the next 4 years, and we might even be best friends in the future, so there’s nothing you can’t say. I’ll help you.”
Tong Ya naturally took Luo Yueli’s arm. “Let’s find a place to eat and talk. I’m hungry too.”
After declining several boys who tried to strike up a conversation, Luo Yueli and Tong Ya arrived at a malatang shop in the middle of the snack street.
The shop wasn’t large, but the environment was clean and hygienic. The ingredients were fresh and even had their shelf times labeled, which was very reassuring.
After they placed their order, Tong Ya couldn’t contain her curiosity. She leaned on the table and asked, “Lizi, what’s making you so worried? You’ll get wrinkles if you frown too much.”
“It’s like this, Xiaoya.”
Luo Yueli slowly peeled the plastic wrapper off her water bottle. After it was completely removed, she finally spoke.
“I… I have a very good friend who has liked me for a long time. We’re childhood friends, but I don’t like him. I want to find a time to make things clear to him, but…”
“But you don’t know how to start?” Tong Ya finished for her.
“If you’re childhood friends… it should be easier to talk to him, right? I’m not really sure, I don’t have a childhood friend. Though I’ve always wanted one.”
“It’s a shame I missed my chance. Lizi, you’re so lucky to have someone who’s always been good to you without asking for anything in return.”
‘Real-life childhood friends are a completely different concept from the ones in novels…’
‘Innocent Xiaoya.’
Sensing Tong Ya’s hopeful and yearning gaze, Luo Yueli hesitated but ultimately didn’t shatter her roommate’s girlish fantasy.
“Xiaoya, since you have so much experience rejecting boys, can you give me some advice?” Luo Yueli said, “I don’t want to waste either of our time.”
“Sooner or later, I’ll meet a boy I like and be with him. When that happens… if he still likes me, he won’t be able to move out of the shadow I’ve left on him.”
“He needs to embrace his own life instead of constantly doing things for me.”
“Has he confessed to you before?” Tong Ya asked.
“He told me during the summer after middle school graduation, but I didn’t say yes.”
“Do you still not like him?”
Luo Yueli was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yeah.”
“Then it really is quite troublesome,” Tong Ya said.
“Liking someone who doesn’t like you back is a difficult thing. Lizi, I wouldn’t be able to do it either. I understand what you mean. You want to part ways peacefully without hurting him. You’re a kind person, Yueli.”
Luo Yueli scratched her hair in frustration. “Even though it’s impossible between us and I don’t like him, we’re still childhood friends and good friends.”
“It’s actually not that hard. Since you’re in different cities now, you just need to change your attitude slightly.”
“Be a bit more distant, gradually remove yourself from his life, and then find a time to explain your thoughts to him as a friend, just like you did with me today.”
Tong Ya tapped the table with her slender fingers and continued, “If he’s a reasonable person, he will definitely understand that you’re looking out for him.”
“Since you’ve been childhood friends for so many years, he’ll surely understand that you don’t want to hurt him.”
“Any kind of relationship must be based on mutual understanding. It’s been 3 years since you started high school; you’re not children anymore.”
Luo Yueli nodded slightly, then added, “But… we aren’t in different cities. He’s in the same class as me. It’s…”
“Su Yichen.”
3 years. A full 3 years.
This was the first time Luo Yueli had spoken her childhood friend’s name to someone else. She could clearly feel that saying those three words seemed to drain all the strength from her body.
At that moment, Luo Yueli felt like she was being very cruel. So cruel that she had hidden her relationship with him for 3 years.
‘Maybe he isn’t the coward…’
‘Perhaps I’m the one who’s a coward.’
He had the courage to face her, to openly praise her good qualities, and to not allow anyone to say a bad word about her.
Beyond just liking her, he could face this relationship from the perspective of a childhood friend, even when faced with setbacks.
Yet, she only dared to avoid him. She never dared to acknowledge that besides ‘liking’ her, he also shared the bond of being a ‘childhood friend’. She didn’t even… dare to say his name to others.
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